Segments in this Video

Children Activists (00:58)

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Meet 14 year old Nassir Ward. Children march and speak out at rallies about global warming and pollution.

Northern Gateway Pipeline(02:57)

Ta'kaiya, age 12, grew up hearing stories, from her native grandparents, about clean rivers and abundant salmon. Concerned about whale populations and pollution from oil tankers, she decided the time to become an activist was now.

"Big Yellow Taxi"(02:11)

Lennon and Maisey Stella sing while viewers see contrasting pictures of nature, automobiles, trash, and pollution.

Mercury in Our Fish Supply(02:16)

New research shows that mummichog eat more as temperatures rise. The methyl mercury they ingest (caused by pollutants from coal-fired power plants) is passed on through the food chain.

Did You Know?(00:28)

Over 4,500 species are currently in danger of extinction. Kids share their feelings about animals.

"The Monarch Butterfly"(02:38)

Learn about the annual migration of millions of butterflies. The disappearance of milkweed due to pesticides, land development, and global warming threatens their future. Young Daniel Bravo says we can help monarchs by planting milkweed.

"A Million Trillion Bugs" (01:38)

Hear a song by Stephin Merritt. Hippocrates, age 8, explains that the elimination of even one animal can be problematic. Spiders are important for insect population control.

Wildflowers (02:22)

Thoreau's nature journals from 1852 Massachusetts help scientists understand how global warming is affecting plants. Temperatures have risen 6 percent since that time and 75% of the flowers in his journals have disappeared.

Speaking Out(02:46)

Children rally against oil trains. Aji wants to prevent Seattle from seeing the same kind of destruction that happened to Quebec in 2013. Oil destroys the environment when it is spilled and when it is burned.

"Exploding Trains" (02:56)

Aji, with Adonis, sings a song he wrote in protest of oil transportation through Seattle. The Earth's average temperature has risen about 1.5 degrees in the past 100 years.

Mosquito and Crab (02:40)

Children visit the Museum of Natural History and learn how global warming will effect insects and cold-water crustaceans.

The Sea Butterfly (00:57)

Found on the top layer of the sea, the tiny swimming snail is an important food source for whales, birds, and fish. Scientists have observed its shell dissolve in southern oceans as the waters become more acidic from the burning of fossil fuels.

"Earth Revolution"(02:49)

Ta'Kaiya sings a song she wrote about a nation poisoned by war, power, and greed. She is appealing to people of all generations to act now to save the Earth.

Description

“We’re the ancestors of the many generations to come, and we have a chance to do something, and to change the world for the better,” says Ta’kaiya, a 12-year-old from the Sliammon Nation, who was inspired to become an environmental activist after learning about the destruction caused by the Northern Gateway Pipeline in Canada. At the Fish Collection of The American Museum of Natural History, curator Melanie Stiassny talks with kids about the impact of warming temperatures and pollution on a species of fish called the Mummichog. “The biggest problem of my generation is trying to figure out how to live on this planet with everything else, without destroying the planet,” explains Aji (13) who’s concerned about the possibility of oil-train explosions in his hometown of Seattle, and performs a song with his brother, Adonis, that he wrote to spread awareness. Back at the museum, curator Mark Siddall educates kids on how climate change will affect species like the mosquito and the giant crab. Finally, Ta’kaiya returns with a song (“Earth Revolution”) about the responsibility the next generation has to act now. Interspersed are readings by Tina Fey (about the monarch butterfly), Jeffrey Wright (wildflowers) and Liam Neeson (sea butterfly), with performances by Lennon & Maisy and Stephin Merritt. An HBO Production.